Valentine Schwartz had it all: his girlfriend was the most beautiful girl in school, he came from a rich family, and his best friend, Huddie Rosen, all but worshipped him. Though Valentine wasn't the brightest and was known for making mistakes, no one could have foreseen him falling off the roof of his high school in a suit of medieval armour, and dying at the tender age of seventeen. Huddie Rosen moves on. He travels to Tennessee and falls in love with bluegrass music. It leads him to a new life in Europe where he starts a family. But when his family life goes sour, Huddie decides to return to Toronto. As he reconnects with his old friends, he finds himself wrapped up in their lives. It's a wonder anyone was able to live without him. And as his old and new lives begin to clash, he finds himself wondering which life is better.